We continued moving west for the next several hours. By noon we reached a rest stop near a small town. The food here (which is obviously the only thingI care about) wasn't much different from Millishion. The only difference was probably the price. I was genuinely surprised that even though it was only a half-day journey away, the price of some ingredients had dropped by almost half.
Especially the eggs. Chicken eggs here were probably the cheapest compared to everywhere else I've been. They weren't as big as the dragon eggs I usually ate on the Demon Continent, and not as tasty as the eggs on Earth. I found them to smell a bit more fishy, and their texture was quite soft when boiled, instead of slightly chewy and snappy like the ones in Asura.
Naturally, I bought a considerable amount to bring along, hoping that one day I could find rice again.
Ah, I also needed soy sauce. Back in Roa, I had quite a lot of it, but now I guess the only way is to make it myself again, sigh...
Those were my thoughts when hungry.
When full, I returned to my main issue - Isolde, my rival and simultaneously my girlfriend(?) at this moment.
Throughout lunch, she didn't say a single word to me, not even sparing me a glance. She just ate slowly in silence, occasionally talking to Master Roxy and the others normally, as if nothing had happened.
Every time that happened, my heart ached.
The afternoon part of the trip wasn't overly interesting either. I sat with Paul and talked about some of the novelties I encountered on the Demon Continent. Paul also told me what happened during the exhausting days following the mana calamity.
Roughly speaking, Paul got teleported with Norn to an area quite close to the Royal Capital Ars, pretty lucky there, while Aisha was with Lilia in the Shirone Kingdom. Since when it happened, both Norn and Aisha were only three years old, if they had both been teleported alone, things could have been much worse.
After being teleported, Paul immediately returned to Fittoa and Buena village, where, as I've been told by other witnesses, nothing is left. It was just a wasteland without a single tree, because it seemed even part of the ground had been teleported away.
And so my uncle began his journey to find the missing people and formed a search party.
I had heard a partial summary a few days ago, but learning the specifics, it seemed this search job had put a lot of pressure on Paul. Imagine day after day hearing news of people you know dying, being hated by local authorities, being attacked, all while having no news of your own family members.
If it were me, I might have just broken down.
Fortunately, while Paul was at his most depressed, he reunited with his son, Rudeus. They had a touching reunion, and shortly after, Rudeus found Lilia and Aisha, who were then brought to Millishion by my master, the Water God Reida, and a knight in Shirone named Ginger.
Not long before the present, it was our turn to bring news of Zenith's location. Thus, their family could reunite in the not-too-distant future. Thinking about it, I also felt somewhat happy.
"Once everything settles down, do you have any plans?" Paul asked, after finishing his part of the story. "I plan to return to Roa. The Boreas family's butler, Alphonse, is rebuilding the place. Last I heard, they were making pretty good progress."
"Alphonse? Why did they let a butler handle it instead of someone from the Boreas?" I asked. "Like Philip or something?"
"Like I would know. I'm totally blind to all this political stuff." Paul shrugged, shaking his head. "As for Philip, I haven't heard any news about him, so I'm not sure."
"Hmm..."
According to the Demon Empress, the entire Boreas family was safe and sound. I didn't know why Philip and Hilda decided not to return to Asura and stayed in a place like the Strife Zone, but they surely had their own reasons.
Could it be to avoid taking responsibility? From what I knew, the epicenter of the mana calamity seemed to be right in the city of Roa. I also guessed that weird orb floating in the sky had some significance in this incident, though I wasn't too sure. If that were true, according to Asuran law, a noble failing to resolve a threat that adversely affected the citizens and territory of the kingdom would be severely punished. Yep, after spending time studying law in the royal capital and at Philip's house, I knew a thing or two about the law. Back then, I was raised to be a true noble, after all.
But thinking about that made me suddenly realize I didn't know what my own future held.
I mean, if Isolde and I get along (hopefully, since we won't get a chance to talk for a few more hours). Then maybe she and I will start becoming knights or something. What happens after that, I'm not sure. Of course, I want to get married, have kids, or whatever, but what job to do is a big question mark.
Well, there's still a long time from here to there.
So I told Paul my intentions. He agreed and thought I would make a good knight.
...
In a flash, evening came.
Dinner was cooked by Geese, along with Lilia and Aisha.
In terms of ingredients, there wasn't anything too special; they were just common things found at the market, or even gathered right by the side of the road. But through the hands of those three extremely capable chefs, we got a pot of meat and vegetable stew that was of higher quality than an expensive restaurant in Millishion.
I probably should have paid attention to how they cooked to learn something, but since my mind was solely focused on Isolde, I couldn't do anything but sit there secretly stealing glances at her (just like at noon).
If anyone noticed now, I would look no different from a bona fide stalker.
Ah no, suddenly thinking about it, how the hell am I any different now from when I was at the research institute in my past life... But I couldn't stop. I wanted to be by her side and resolve the issue right away, arggggg!!!
Then what was bound to happen happened; after the meal, everyone divided up the guard shifts. As Paul proposed, I would be paired with Isolde from midnight until near dawn. I was worried that my 'girlfriend' would object, but surprisingly, she agreed immediately.
That reaction left me extremely bewildered.
...
When midnight arrived, it was time for duty.
I should have slept a little, but as a result, I stayed awake until now. The reason being I wasn't used to sleeping then, as my biological clock has always been out of sync with others. So I lay on the roof of the carriage, looking up at the sky and stargazing until Vierra called me to take the next shift.
After getting down from the carriage, I walked over to where the campfire was crackling with pinkish-red flames. Beside it, Isolde was already sitting, hands clasped together, face slightly bowed, looking at the sparks shooting out from the hot firewood. Her eyes slightly changed color from the reddish hue, and so did her hair. This sight reminded me of when we were both on the ship heading to Zant Port a few months ago.
At that time, to be honest, I thought of Isolde for a fleeting moment when I was composing that poem. I panicked when she suddenly appeared, just a little bit, but fortunately, nothing major happened then.
Perhaps Paul was right, I had wasted too much time. We could have officially been together a long time ago, yet I chose to remain silent. Did Isolde realize that and feel annoyed? I wasn't sure, but if that was really the case, I would understand because I was acting no different from the protagonists in those cheap rom-com series.
Truly foolish.
But this wasn't the time to question myself over mistakes from a few months ago. I needed to find a way to talk to her.
"Ah, um." I spoke up and then immediately went silent. It had been a long time since I fell into a state of not knowing what to say to someone like this.
Isolde looked up at me. She didn't reply. But at least now there was a reaction to my words. This was progress, right?
So I mustered all my courage to take a few slow steps forward. "Was dinner to your liking tonight?"
Wait, my tone are very formal somehow. What the hell is wrong with me?
"Quite good," Isolde replied, her gaze instantly darting elsewhere instead of resting on me anymore. "But not as good as..."
She was about to say something but fell silent. Her cheeks suddenly flushed red.
Huh? What the hell is this? Why are you suddenly acting so cute Isolde? Don't tell me you hate me so much that you want to give me a fatal heart attack from this cuteness, arggg!!!
But not as good as what? Was she about to say it wasn't as good as my cooking? Ha ha ha! That's exactly it! Naturally, I'm the number one chef. Take that, super maid and S-rank thief.
"Then you..."
"Ah!"
While I was trying to say something so this conversation wouldn't hit a dead end, Isolde flinched. As if realizing she had just done something wrong, she immediately reverted to her apathetic expression. Then, the silky blue-haired girl looked around, as if to confirm that no one was around before breathing a sigh of relief.
"Phew... nobody's here."
Seeing that, not only her but I also felt a huge sense of relief. It seemed Isolde wasn't actually that annoyed with me if she could return to her usual demeanor now. So things could still be resolved, that's great.
But what was the reason for everything since this morning?
Before I could even ask, Isolde was the one to speak next.
"Say, Atur." Her voice rang out again; it was deep and warm like a hot spring, unlike the winter chill from this morning. Isolde even brought the back of her hand up to cover her mouth, her gaze avoiding looking directly at me again. Although I couldn't see clearly because it was dark, I could guess she was blushing with embarrassment. "Should we go patrol around the edge of the forest? I heard it might not be safe around here and there might be monsters lurking, so..."
"The forest?"
The forest!?
Hold on, Paul also said we could do 'it' in the forest! Could Isolde's intention really be that!? Was she actually mad at me because I didn't take her to bed right away last night!?
I was surprised, genuinely surprised! I always thought Isolde would want things to go slower. Who would have expected her to want to accelerate the progress this much. So Paul was right? If so, maybe I have to apologize tomorrow.
Isolde stared at me. Then she sighed as she standing up.
"If you don't want to, I'll go alone..."
"Yes! I want to!" I immediately grabbed Isolde's hand and hurriedly led her away. "Let's go right now!"
"Ah, slow down, you idiot!"
Even though I also intended to take it slow, if my girlfriend wants it, I'd be an idiot to refuse. Finally, my little brother knows how to do something other than peeing, bwahahahahaha!
And so, to hell with the guard duty, we headed straight for the forest. But wait, don't write me off as an irresponsible guy just yet. According to Paul, he would stay awake and keep watch while Isolde and I 'confided' in each other. I didn't know where the hell he was, but whatever, surely no one would dare mess with this party full of high-ranked adventurers. I hope so, anyway.
...
The forest edge in this area wasn't much different from the Great Forest, just a slightly smaller version.
I mean, it was full of green trees, some common herbs, and that cool, damp feeling of the night. Perhaps because I'm not a forest expert, and also because it was dark, every forest looked the same to me. This place even looked like the forest near the city of Roa.
But let's put the forest aside for now. Right now, I was with Isolde, my girlfriend who had been blushing with embarrassment for the whole trip (which wasn't too long) without being able to say a single word. Yet her breathing was hurried and heavy, much more than usual.
Meanwhile, I wasn't doing much better. Aside from showing the exact same symptoms as my girlfriend, my little brother was also extremely excited about the current situation.
With my perceptive abilities, it was true there were no monsters or human figures around here; it was quite private. Should I start taking off my clothes or something? Or should I start with something other than holding hands? Like kiss her or something?
"So... we've reached the edge of the forest," I said, trying to hide my eagerness. Or at least trying to make it less obvious. "Doesn't seem to be any monsters... right?"
"Yeah. There really isn't anything..."
Isolde agreed. Even though her perceptive capabilities might be even better than mine, she still looked around very carefully. To the point where I almost thought she was genuinely afraid of a monster attack and hadn't just come up with an excuse.
"But..." she continued. "Can we go a bit deeper?"
Still wanted to go deeper? She really was careful.
"Sure." I have no reason to say no.
And so we walked into the forest for another five minutes. By now, the trees had started to get denser. Even though the moon was bright tonight, the canopy overhead blocked most of it, and it took a lot of effort just to find a path to walk on. As for Isolde, she hesitated at a few spots, then reverted to a slightly weird high-concentration mode for a moment, and then continued to blush in embarrassment.
I could 'read' a few reasons why she was acting like that. And whatever the reason, it was incredibly cute.
"This is probably far enough, right?" I stopped in my tracks.
This spot was quite open, not too dense, with a small patch of land that had few tall trees and only bushes. Near the center was a large clump of leaves sliced cleanly across the top. Based on this sight, it might have been the location of a large Treant that had been killed not long ago.
Actually, we could have gone deeper, but if we wanted to do something, this place seemed suitable, hehe. And, um... it wasn't because I was eager and impatient or anything. It was genuinely because I thought if we went any deeper, we would actually run into monsters.
"Yeah... this is fine." Isolde nodded. She glanced away again, avoiding my gaze. "Actually... I didn't call you out here to check for monsters or anything. I'm sorry for lying to you..."
Yeah I know. But I couldn't ruin the mood.
"Is that so?" I played along with a sympathetic smile. "But it's fine. You called me out here for some extremely important reason, didn't you? Like there's something you want to do."
"Actually, there really is something I want to tell you..."
My heart started pounding so hard I could hear it. And breathing? I almost forgot to do that. But fortunately, I still managed to catch my breath at the very last second.
"Do you remember yesterday when I said I had things I wanted to do with you?"
Now I felt like I was having an even worse heart attack. Did she really want to do 'that'? Isolde, you're much bolder than you look!
"Yes." I tried to stay calm and replied. "So what do you want... to do?"
"I want to… Um…"
Isolde began to hesitate. Her finger resting on her lower lip inadvertently made it look fuller than usual. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but those lips looked charming enough to be over 9000!
Come on, say it, Isolde! If you want to go all the way with me, I'll be ready!
"Ah... nevermind. Let's go back."
"Are you kidding me!?" I punched and broke a piece of the tree right next to me. "You brought me out here just to tell me to go back!? Do you have any idea how much I was looking forward to this?"
Oh shit, it slipped out huh?
"You were... looking forward to it?" Isolde opened her eyes wide and looked at me.
"Of course I was." I rubbed my face. "A guy and a girl alone in a secluded place, how could I not have some wild thoughts?"
"Mhm... So it wasn't just me." Isolde breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."
"Did you really think I wouldn't think of anything when alone with my girlfriend?" I was dumbfounded.
I thought Isolde knew full well what kind of person I was. A pervert, that's what she thought too.
"I knew that too. But I was afraid you would think of me as a loose girl..."
"I've never thought like that."
I might be surprised if Isolde acted boldly, but loose? Never. Even with Vierra dressing incredibly revealingly or Elinalise um… well we all know her condition and I never judged them. So for Isolde, someone who always dressed modestly, always kept her distance from others, and had never even been in a relationship, how could I misjudge her?
However...
"Wait wait wait. Don't tell me you've been trying to keep your distance from me since this morning just because you were worried about this?" I asked.
"Um... That's only part of it, but also because..." Isolde turned her face away, clearly showing she had something difficult to say. "If I say it, will you not be mad at me?"
"If I wanted to be mad, I would've been mad a long time ago."
I was more worried than mad. Right now I just wanted to know exactly what happened; it wasn't an interrogation or anything.
"Um..." Isolde clearly wasn't fully convinced yet. But she still decided to sigh. "I wanted to avoid you because... I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold back and would end up telling you how much I love you. Other people would gossip... Hey! What's wrong with you!?"
Gah! Isolde used 'moe moe deredere'. It's super effective! A critical hit! Atur has fainted!
"I'm fine... I'm just having a slight heart attack." I tried to regain composure "It's because you're too cute..."
"Eh? Then what should I do? Should I hit you or something? I don't know how to use healing magic, so..."
"It's alright, I'm really fine. Please don't hit me."
Honestly, seeing Isolde this flustered made me want to laugh. They say getting hit by the love bug immediately drops your IQ. It's true that not everyone gets to see the Ice Princess become so unusually silly. I truly am one lucky bastard.
"If that's the reason making you feel awkward around me, then this is going to be troublesome." I said. "We can't be like this forever, can we? Why don't we just act normally like usual?"
I could understand, but asking me to accept it would be hard. After all, just a few days ago we were completely normal; I prefer it that way too, at least outwardly when there are other people around.
"To be able to act normally again, I probably need time." Isolde confessed, looking strangely clear-headed now. Was this bipolar disorder or something? "But until then, can you stay away from me when there are other people around?"
"Seriously?"
"Please."
"Then there's no other way."
At least I knew the reason, so that eased my worries. If Isolde needed time and space to get used to our new relationship, I would have no reason to object. Perhaps I too needed time to adjust myself and do something more productive than trying to get as close to her as possible.
It's been a few days since I practiced swordsmanship or researched any magic. Lately, I suddenly had an idea to solve my mana problem, so I also needed to spend time looking deeper into it. Perhaps during this journey would be a suitable time.
"So, are we going back now?" I sighed.
After all, we had been out for a while. Isolde didn't plan on doing anything either, so there was no reason to stick around. But why was she hesitating, her expression clearly showing she didn't want to go back.
"What's wrong? Changed your mind?" I continued to ask.
"Um... Now I want to be a bit more intimate with you before we go back." I didn't expect Isolde to be able to say such a line with a straight face.
"Huh? Oh yeah... why not? So what do you want to do?"
Now it was my turn to get shy. Ha ha. It's just that I had mentally prepared myself, then let it down, and now that we're back to that topic, I was a little shocked. But it's okay, I'm ready! Let's go all the way, Isolde!
"Um... I want to hug you. Can I?"
"Huh? Hug?" I was dumbfounded.
"I mean hugging from behind." Isolde nodded, her hands clasped together behind her back, looking quite shy. "I've always wanted to be hugged like that. It feels like when you were carrying me... I really love that feeling... Is it okay?"
My brain began loading after restarting.
A hug? From behind sounds romantic and all, but it didn't seem to be what I was expecting. To be honest, I was quite disappointed. But for the most part, I was rather relieved to hear this request. So my impression of a slow and serious Isolde hadn't been shattered yet.
I had ended up overthinking things.
"Alright then." I tried to remain calm and nodded. Then, I looked around and immediately spotted a nearby rock that seemed suitable for sitting. "Over there?"
"Mhm!" Isolde seemed very happy.
And so we went there. Isolde sat down, scooting further in to make enough room for me. Then finally, she embraced me from behind.
"Waa... I really love this." she rubbed her face against my hair as if there were no tomorrow. "Atur's scent, hehe."
"You're definitely not complaining that I stink, are you." I forced a smile.
"If your stench smells like this, then I never want you to bathe."
Oi oi, that line is a bit too bold there, Ice Princess. But if she told me I couldn't bathe for the rest of my life, I'd accept it. It might be a little uncomfortable, but I guarantee I'd let her know what a strong man smells like.
Just kidding, I prefer being clean. So does Isolde. She only said that because she was too deeply in love. Just like how I act like an idiot sometimes too.
And this posture was also more comfortable than I thought. Even though I wasn't looking back, I still knew what that soft sensation pressing against the nape of my neck was. The gentle breathing and scent of Isolde only made me feel stimulated to the extreme. The way her hands wrapped around my waist and rested on my thighs only made things more serious.
Calm down, brother, don't be too hasty, be patient. Even though you are still young, just barely 15, your older brother here has had another little brother waiting for over thirty years.
"Say, Atur." Suddenly, Isolde spoke up again. Her voice was so sweet it made me feel like I was going to get diabetes. Ah no, her voice was the same as always, but it seemed I was voluntarily altering it in my head. "Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Are you looking forward to any gifts for your birthday?"
"Birthday?"
"Yeah, your birthday." Isolde confirmed. "It's coming up soon, right?"
Come to think of it, my birthday really is right around the corner. I didn't remember the exact date, and no one had ever remembered it before either, because who would care about the day an illegitimate child was born? So all I was told by others was that I was born on the day the first autumn leaf fell, so I defaulted to somewhere in mid-October, specifically October 15th. That meant there was a little over a month left.
As for a gift...
"It seems I already have everything I could want." I gave a faint, happy smile. "I already have you by my side. I don't need anything else."
That was the truth. I thought as long as Isolde was still by my side then, that would be all that matters. I didn't need anything more.
But contrary to expectations, Isolde sighed in exasperation.
"What kind of playboy answer is that?" She scolded, poking my cheek with her thumb again. "Just tell the truth, what do you want?"
"Hehe. I'm telling the truth." I gave a wry smile. "But why are you asking like this? Normally I would think you'd guess what I want and secretly prepare a gift?"
"I planned to do that too, but I thought with our current status, it's better to just ask directly."
"Why?"
"Because we are a couple, belonging to each other. I don't want to hide anything from you, and I also want you to be straightforward with me about everything." Isolde explained. "And I don't want to guess wrong again, as that would make you unhappy."
"What did you guess wrong?"
"About the fact that you loved me too, of course. Are you planning on making me say those embarrassing stuff? You devil schemer." She poked my cheek even harder. "So what do you want, tell me right now!"
That's just too cute. How can I handle them all without dying because of diabetes? But as I said, I didn't think I needed anything else, so I would still give an honest answer.
"Like I said, I want you, only you."
"You really are a play boy, aren't you? Do you know what you're asking for?"
"I know."
I wanted her to be by my side, stargazing and holding my hand throughout that entire day. That would be more than enough.
"Then... fine." Isolde rested her chin on the top of my head; we probably looked like two pieces of dango now. "If you want that, then tonight you have to let me hug you for another hour."
"That will take up the entire guard shift. What if something happens while we're out here? I want to be hugged too, but we still have a job to do." I was now being hugged as tightly as if a python were wrapping around me.
"It's fine." Isolde nuzzled her face against my head. "Vierra said she would take over the watch for me."
So we had no reason to worry anymore. We just stayed like that, hugging and chatting until the end of the shift. Naturally, we didn't forget to wish each other goodnight with a kiss.
It seems like our relationship is now even deeper than before.